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Clark/Division (Red)

Stop, shop and go.

Tuesday Mar 01, 2005.     By Jessica Herman

Lifestyle Feed

The immediate surroundings above this Red Line exit give Clark/Division the face of a stop, shop and go location: two magazine stands, Blockbuster, Dunkin' Donuts and Walgreens to name a few. However, a few skips southeast will take you to the heart of the Gold Coast, where the venues offering sizzling steaks or smoky blues have scrawled their names in flashing neon lights. Just west of Michigan Avenue, the posh area prides itself on high-end boutiques and chain stores, decadent eateries and the city's cultural gems, like Jewish delis and Polish markets, proving there's far more to Clark/Division than coffee and cigarettes.

Panhandler rating: Around the Clark/Division L stop, you can count on encountering some panhandling.

Safety rating: Along State and Rush, where many nightclubs stay open through the wee hours, and even the steakhouses stay open late, you'll feel pretty safe anytime of day. The area closer to the L and along pockets of Clark and Division, however, is less populated after dark, so pass on through or couple up.

In-the-know spot
Maple Street Market
While the Maple Street Market closely resembles your standard urban convenience store, the shop actually offers a bountiful selection of health food brands that you see at Whole Foods or Treasure Island. Where you might expect to find Snickers and soda pop, Maple Street's shelves are stocked with bagged nuts, dried fruits and yogurt and carob covered snacks. In addition to several aisles of dietary supplements and a freezer full of Amy's organic goods, Maple Street squeezes in a few gluten- and wheat-free products.

Thermoses of Intelligentsia coffee, saran-wrapped homemade muffins and vegan cookies make this an easy stop when you're on the go, but a seating area in back by the bowls of hot chili offers a quiet lunchtime spot. That's also where the store's hidden gem resides: a smoothie bar featuring fresh juice and veggie self-selected combos. While a name like the Green Giant at 7-Eleven is probably the latest Shrek-inspired slurpie, this liquid concoction (spinach, parsley, cucumber, kale, celery and broccoli) is one nutritious meal.

Arena for the a.m.
Albert's Cafe & Patisserie
Peek under the awnings at Albert's to find a leisurely morning spot, especially appropriate for a snowy Sunday in the city. Humble in size and replete with a nostalgic air of class and charm, this French patisserie, tucked behind the historic Biggs Mansion, originally functioned as the horses' stables and servants' sleeping quarters. Fitting barely a dozen two-person tables into the square-shape, wall-papered room, Albert's hosts lunching ladies, families and solo diners who prefer to share their white table cloth dining experience with that day's paper. Above the tall glass windows facing the street hangs a chalkboard listing the breakfast, lunch or dinner specials. While there's a complete selection of savory entrees like omelets, Albert's homemade goods will readily satiate your taste for sweet; the glass case showcases everything from carrot cake and coconut chocolate truffles to simple apricot sugar cookies and pastries. Served in glass mugs, coffee drinks range from traditional cappuccinos to Viennese and Irish coffee, but the standout selection of breakfast and brunch beverages fall under the categories of "liquid libations" and the "royal treatment": mimosas, Bloody Mary mixes, ports and sherries.

Dinner-date destination
Bistrot Zinc
This French eatery boldly stakes its claim on State Street property with a distinct sidewalk facade: Housed inside a black and red painted box, the block lettering of Bistrot Zinc stamped across the top conveys a hint of this Euro-style restaurant's inherent romantic charm.

Despite obvious differences, like pommes frites with dinner and mascarpone French toast for brunch, the meals featured at Bistrot Zinc are surprisingly similar for both lunch and dinner. (So, in case you're booked for dinner, Bistrot's a solid choice for an early date, too.) Starting with an appetizer of baked onion soup or mussels with white wine and shallots, you can follow with entrees like a turkey and brie sandwich or three kinds of savory crepes. If the popular puffed pastry doesn't pull you in, consult the seasonal monthly specials menu: February served up items like roasted gold and red beet terrine with walnuts and medjool dates and spicy lamb sausage. Room for dessert? Try bread pudding. While the view of Barnes and Noble across the street remind you that you're still on American soil, it's not hard to imagine Toulouse-Latrec twirling between the restaurant's woven black and white chairs, paintings and mirrors, under the high ceilings, and across the colorful tiled floors, then landing by the full bar.

Best of the nighttime world
P.S. Chicago
Named after the original P.S. Chicago (which closed about ten years ago), this nightclub attracts late twenties and thirtysomethings who either danced away nights at the club's namesake or fondly recall classic eighties hits. The look is up-to-speed (though the flat screen TVs feature '80s movie classics) but the music remains the same, with occasional remixes to spice it up. "Solid Gold Wednesdays," showcasing golden albums of the time, is the latest addition to P.S.'s weekly roster. Though the fire-engine red and silver painted walls scream nightclub, the actual dance floor hides in the back of the room behind the central bar.

If dancing isn't your thing but drinking is, sip on one of the bartender's secret-ingredient specialty drinks, like "Cherry Cheesecake" or a "Gummy Bear" shot. A decent crowd of high tables and stools are parked at the edges of the room, but the carpeted corner near the entrance provides some privacy; besides its own bar, the conversation conduit offers a view of Rush that's hard to beat. Don't expect to find a peaceful retreat in the powder room, either: The tight space is gussied up in a spread of glitzy bangles, lotions and candies.

Good for groups
Melvin B's
Kitschy is the look of choice at Melvin B's, where the smell of popcorn is always wafting. Swathed in colored Christmas lights, linoleum checkered tiles and a glass case full of sweets like candy cigarettes, Good & Plenty (and Tylenol?), the bar spills onto a patio of outdoor seating that's surrounded by wooden fences and benches for warmer days. There's plenty of room inside to come in packs in the dead of winter, too. Besides the round bar, tables and stools plopped along the linoleum floor provide pleasant retreats from the hustle and bustle. Riffing off of the truck stop idea, the bar features a yellowed, laminated U.S. map with photos of other phony Melvin's locations tacked across the expanse of states. Black and white posters of Chicago's yesteryear sports teams, along with random trophies, miniature stockings and clocks that tell times around the country, adorn the rest of the bar.

If popcorn does not satisfy your beer-induced hunger, Melvin's offers a range of bar food, including buffalo chicken sandwiches, ribs, salads and hamburgers. In the winter, you can stick to the cheap and simple sliders, pizza or Italian beef sandwich. The jukebox, video poker game and a photo booth should provide entertainment when your friends get tipsy off the "Electric Coolade" (melon liquor, amaretto, orange juice, vodka, rum and a splash of cranberry juice).

Late-night locale
Dublin's Pub
Squatting among its high-rising neighbors, this proud establishment stays open to feed late-night urbanites once they're done drinking and dancing elsewhere. Run by a Mexican chef/manager and a Persian owner, the cuisine stretches beyond the limits of traditional Irish fare; in addition to the corned beef and cabbage, lamb stew and potato leek soup, the menu includes an extensive list of salads, nachos, pasta, steak, seafood and chicken dishes.

The low ceiling, green leather stools and booths and friendly wait staff make Dublin's a welcoming spot to stumble into, day or night. Besides a few Irish countryside snapshots and a stock-supply of green lighting, the people-watching here makes up for the lack of inventive decor. If you sit near the bar, you can watch the cooks whip up your meal in the open kitchen. Fear not, hardcore sports fans: there's ample room to get a good view of the TV screen should you take your "half and half" (Guinness and Harp) with a side of soccer-watching.